Cross connect systems with self-compensating balanced connector elements

Abstract

A cross-connect wiring system includes a terminal block, a connecting block and a patch plug. The terminal block has a front side and a rear side. The connecting block is mounted on the front side of the terminal block. At least two pairs of tip and ring insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) are at least partially mounted within the connecting block. Each of these IDCs has a first end that includes a first conductor receiving slot and a second end that includes a second conductor receiving slot. The first and second ends of each IDC are non-collinear. Both the first and second conductor receiving slots of each IDC are on the front side of the terminal block. The patch plug includes a housing and at least two pairs of tip and ring plug contacts. The tip and ring plug contacts of at least one of the two pairs of tip and ring plug contacts cross over each other within the plug housing.

1. A patch plug, comprising
 a plug housing; 
 a first tip plug contact and a first ring plug contact that form a first differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts, wherein the first tip and ring plug contacts are mounted within the plug housing so as to cross over each other; 
 a second tip plug contact and a second ring plug contact that form a second differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts, wherein the second tip and ring plug contacts are mounted within the plug housing so as to cross over each other and are mounted adjacent to the first differential pair of tip and ring contacts; 
 wherein each of the first and second tip and ring plug contacts includes an insulation displacement contact (IDC) portion and a blade portion; and 
 wherein the IDC portions of the first and second tip plug contacts are aligned in a first row, and the IDC portions of the first and second ring plug contacts are aligned in a second row that is spaced apart from the first row. 
 
     
     
       2. The patch plug of  claim 1 , wherein a slot in the TDC portion of the first tip plug contact is generally aligned with a plane defined by the blade portion of the first ring plug contact, and wherein a slot in the DC portion of the first ring plug contact is generally aligned with a plane defined by the blade portion of the first tip plug contact. 
     
     
       3. The patch plug of  claim 1 , wherein the first differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts are balanced so as to impart substantially no differential-to-common mode crosstalk on the second differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts. 
     
     
       4. The patch plug of  claim 1 , wherein the IDC portions of the first and second tip plug contacts lie within a first plane and wherein the blade portion of the first tip plug contact lies within a second plane that is generally perpendicular to the first plane. 
     
     
       5. The patch plug of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second tip and ring plug contacts further comprises a cross-member that connects the IDC portion and the blade portion of each respective plug contact, and wherein the cross-member of the first ring plug contact overlies the cross-member of the first tip plug contact, and wherein the cross-member of the second ring plug contact overlies the cross-member of the second tip plug contact. 
     
     
       6. The patch plug of  claim 5 , wherein the cross-member of each of the first and second tip and ring plug contacts is configured such that the differential-to-differential crosstalk imparted by the first differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts onto the second differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts is substantially cancelled. 
     
     
       7. The patch plug of  claim 1 , in combination with a connector block, the connector block comprising:
 a housing; 
 a first pair of tip and ring IDCs mounted in the housing; 
 a second pair of tip and ring IDCs mounted in the housing; 
 wherein each of the IDCs has a first end that has a first slot and a second end that has a second slot, the first end being offset from the second end; and 
 wherein the tip IDCs are aligned in a first row within the housing and the ring IDCs are aligned in a second row within the housing, 
 wherein the first tip plug contact is configured to mate with the first tip IDC, the first ring plug contact is configured to mate with the first ring IDC, the second tip plug contact is configured to mate with the second tip IDC and the second ring plug contact is configured to mate with the second ring IDC. 
 
     
     
       8. The patch plug in combination with a connector block of  claim 7 , wherein at least portions of the second end of each of the IDCs extend outside the housing through one or more openings in the housing. 
     
     
       9. The patch plug in combination with a connector block of  claim 7 , wherein the first slot and the second slot of each IDC are generally parallel and non-collinear. 
     
     
       10. A cross-connect wiring system, comprising:
 a terminal block having a front side and a rear side; 
 a connecting block on the front side of the terminal block; 
 at least two pairs of tip and ring insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) that are at least partially mounted within the connecting block, wherein each of the IDCs has a first end that includes a first conductor receiving slot and a second end that includes a second conductor receiving slot, wherein the first and second ends of each IDC are non-collinear, and wherein both the first and second conductor receiving slots of each IDC are on the front side of the terminal block; and 
 a patch plug that includes a housing and at least two pairs of tip and ring plug contacts, wherein the tip and ring plug contacts of at least one of the two pairs of tip and ring plug contacts cross over each other within the housing. 
 
     
     
       11. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 10 , wherein the tip IDCs are aligned in a first row within the connecting block and the ring IDCs are aligned in a second row within the connecting block. 
     
     
       12. A cross-connect wiring system, comprising:
 a connecting block that includes a plurality of pairs of tip and ring insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) mounted at least partially within the connecting block, wherein the tip IDCs are aligned in a first row and the ring IDCs are aligned in a second row, and wherein each of the IDCs has a first end for electrically connecting with a first mating conductor and a second end for mating with a second mating conductor, the first end being offset from the second end; and 
 a patch plug that includes a housing and at least two pairs of tip and ring plug contacts, wherein each plug contact includes an IDC portion and a blade portion, wherein the IDC portions of the tip plug contacts are aligned in a first row and the IDC portions of the ring plug contacts are aligned in a second row, and wherein the tip and ring plug contacts of at least one of the pairs of plug contacts cross over each other within the housing. 
 
     
     
       13. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein a slot in the IDC portion of the tip plug contact of the first pair of plug contacts is generally aligned with a plane defined by the blade portion of the ring plug contact of the first pair of plug contacts, and wherein a slot in the IDC portion of the ring plug contact of the first pair of plug contacts is generally aligned with a plane defined by the blade portion of the tip plug contact of the first pair of plug contacts. 
     
     
       14. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein the first end of a first LDC of a first of the pairs of IDCs is substantially equidistant from the first ends of both IDCs of a second of the pairs of IDCs. 
     
     
       15. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein the tip IDC and the ring IDC of each of the pairs of tip and ring IDCs cross over each other. 
     
     
       16. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein each of the IDCs is substantially planar. 
     
     
       17. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein the first pair of tip and ring plug contacts are balanced so as to impart substantially no differential-to-common mode crosstalk on the second pair of tip and ring plug contacts. 
     
     
       18. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein the IDC portions of the tip plug contacts of each pair of tip and ring plug contacts lie within a first plane and wherein the blade portions of each tip plug contact of each pair of tip and ring plug contacts lie within respective planes that are generally perpendicular to the first plane. 
     
     
       19. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 12 , wherein each of the tip and ring plug contacts further comprises a cross-member that connects the IDC portion and the blade portion of each respective plug contact, and wherein the cross-member of each ring plug contact of a pair overlies the cross-member of the respective tip plug contact of the pair. 
     
     
       20. The patch plug of  claim 19 , wherein the cross-member of each of the first and second tip and ring plug contacts is configured such that the differential-to-differential crosstalk imparted by the first pair of tip and ring plug contacts onto the second pair of tip and ring plug contacts is substantially cancelled. 
     
     
       21. A cross-connect wiling system, comprising:
 a terminal block having a front side and a rear side; 
 a connecting block on the front side of the terminal block; 
 at least two pairs of connecting block tip and ring insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) that are at least partially mounted within the connecting block, wherein each of the connecting block IDCs has a first end that includes a first conductor receiving slot and a second end that includes a second conductor receiving slot, wherein the first and second ends of each connecting block IDC are non-collinear, and wherein both the first and second conductor receiving slots of each connecting block IDC are on the front side of the terminal block; and 
 a patch plug that includes a housing and a first tip plug contact that has a first blade and a first IDC and a first ring plug contact that has a second blade and a second IDC, 
 wherein the first tip plug contact and the first ring plug contact are configured to carry a first differential signal; 
 wherein the first blade is on a first side of the second blade, 
 wherein the first IDC is on a second side of the second IDC, and 
 wherein the second side is opposite the first side. 
 
     
     
       22. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 21 , further comprising an index strip having a plurality of conductor receiving slots on the terminal block, wherein the connecting block is mounted on the index strip so that the first conductor receiving slot of each connecting block IDC is aligned with one of the plurality of conductor receiving slots of the index strip. 
     
     
       23. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 21 , wherein the first conductor receiving slot comprises a slot of an insulation displacement contact and wherein the second conductor receiving slot comprises a slot that mates with the blade of a respective one of the plug contacts. 
     
     
       24. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 21 , wherein the tip IDC and the ring IDC of each of the at least two pairs of connecting block IDCs cross over each other. 
     
     
       25. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 21 , wherein the patch plug includes a plurality of additional tip plug contacts and a plurality of additional ring plug contacts, and wherein the IDCs of the tip plug contacts are aligned in a first row and the IDCs of the ring plug contacts are aligned in a second row. 
     
     
       26. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 25 , wherein a slot of the IDC of the first tip plug contact of is substantially aligned with a plane defined by the blade of the first ring plug contact. 
     
     
       27. The cross-connect wiring system of  claim 21 , wherein the first tip and ring plug contacts are balanced so as to impart substantially no differential-to-common mode crosstalk on a second differential pair of tip and ring plug contacts.